If like most entrepreneurs, you’re burning the candle at both ends and missing out on sleep, you might think it’s unavoidable. However, the good news is that you can improve both the quality of your sleep and the amount you get each night with these simple tips.
Get the Right Mattress
It’s a scientific fact that if you’re sleeping on a lumpy or unsupportive mattress, you won’t achieve optimal sleep. If your old mattress is keeping you up at night, consider investing in a new one. For entrepreneurs who are too busy to shop in-store, ordering a bed in a box online is convenient — and you can still find the right style and comfort level.
Think about your sleep style and weight as the priorities when mattress shopping. Leesa mattresses, for example, are medium-firm and suit all sleep styles, medium- to petite-sized people, and couples. Of course, reading reviews is still a crucial part of the buying process so that you get your money’s worth (and better sleep) out of the investment.
Adding a mattress warmer pad is another option for a comfortable night’s sleep.
Recognize Your Challenges
Like every other aspect of life, work impacts your sleep. For most entrepreneurs, sleep may not be a priority because you have so much to pack into each day. Many can’t sleep at night because it seems like a waste of time. However, recognizing your barriers to proper rest is a step in the right direction. If it’s worrying over business decisions that keep you up, you know you need to resolve those before going to bed. If you sleep too few hours due to working 80-plus, then you must address your schedule to prioritize downtime. Once you establish where your biggest obstacle is on the path toward better sleep, it’s time to act.
Start by Outsourcing
It can feel intimidating to delegate what you feel are crucial tasks to another person. But it might be the key to giving you more time for personal needs. Even if you don’t use your spare time for rest, delegating and working toward better work-life balance is vital. You might also find you’re more productive when others can handle lower-level tasks on your behalf, Inc reports. As a result, you’re free to pursue more creative work while essential duties are still addressed.
Establish a Routine
Maxine Drake, an expert in both entrepreneurship and restorative self-care, explains that rest-inducing strategies can help you achieve deeper rest. Getting enough sun daily, setting early sleep and wake times, and ensuring your nutrient intake are all smart strategies that can promote healthy rest. Using the serotonin-producing benefits of sunlight can enhance your mood while setting a regular bedtime means dedicated time for sleep. Even natural sleep aids like magnesium can help regulate your body and improve your sleep patterns. You can do an online magnesium deficiency test to find out if you need a magnesium supplement.
Prep for Bedtime During the Day
Another way to work toward better sleep is by adjusting your daytime habits. For example, skipping caffeine and sugar later in the day might help reduce symptoms of insomnia.
Most entrepreneurs commit to plenty of caffeine to get through each day. However, Everyday Health notes that coffee drinkers are more susceptible to insomnia, restlessness, and even headaches. Therefore, a reduction in caffeine consumption could have healthy sleep benefits.
Of course, avoiding blue light for a few hours before bed can also help relax your brain for rest — especially when you’ve spent all day staring at screens.
Maintain a Healthy Sleep Environment
Your sleep environment also impacts the quality and quantity of rest you achieve. A dark environment is best for encouraging your body’s natural circadian rhythms, experts say. But what about temperature? Sleeping in an environment that ranges between 60 and 68 degrees is optimal for health, while too-high temperatures can cause tossing and turning.
Every person is different, so don’t be afraid to tweak everything from your bedroom temperature to your scheduled wake time to see how it impacts your sleep efficiency. It could take some trial and error to see improvement in sleep quality and quantity, but trying out a few sleep-inducing changes could make all the difference.